Numerous devices or applications rely on power converters or other switching circuitry to support operation. For example, an electric motor can be controlled using a power inverter that converts a direct current (DC) voltage to an alternating current (AC) voltage with electronically controlled commutation. Often, switching devices require what is known as dead time to prevent a shoot-through current or otherwise short-circuiting the supply voltage in a manner that could result in potentially damaging currents through the switches. In practice, it is often desirable to minimize dead time to achieve reduced distortion or noise, improved efficiency, and the like. However, the effects of process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations typically require the dead time to incorporate a margin to ensure shoot-through does not occur. In operation, the margin may overcompensate for the PVT variations, which, in turn, impairs the device performance. While some techniques have been employed to adapt the dead time, they typically involve shoot-through or overlap detection circuitry, which can be relatively expensive and, depending on the configuration, can degrade efficiency by consuming current during operation. Additionally, in some cases, shoot-through is initially required for dead time detection, which inherently risks damaging devices.